Potentially Unauthorised Funds - HELP!!!!!

frivolous_fay

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle wrote:

I also done the bit where paypal confirm your telephone number by phoning you and giving you a number to enter. Please help.

That *should* confirm your address; the whole point is that they know you live there as you answered the phone at that address.

Do you have more than one address on file? Perhaps one is confirmed, and the other isn't?

kevinyork

frivolous_fay wrote:

To be protected in the eyes of paypal, the transaction must have on it:

- Address confirmed
- Seller protection: Eligible

To further protect yourself, you may wish to send via a trackable method, as this will prevent item not received chargebacks in most cases.

I have not heard of a case where someone has lost out to a fraudulent (credit card fraud) funds reversal when the above criteria have been met.

Spot on Fay. The trackable method used needs to be viewable online in case of a dispute and sending things via that method to a confirmed and eligible buyer will protect you against chargebacks for non receipt plus those for unauthourised funds (i.e. buyer claims he didnt make that purchase or the card is reported stolen).

my_gorgeous_ellie-belle

nah - still showing as unconfirmed! Only one address too! Oh well - will be sending them a message for help then!

Thanks fay!

Tirian

frivolous_fay wrote:

To be protected in the eyes of paypal, the transaction must have on it:

- Address confirmed
- Seller protection: Eligible

To further protect yourself, you may wish to send via a trackable method, as this will prevent item not received chargebacks in most cases.

I have not heard of a case where someone has lost out to a fraudulent (credit card fraud) funds reversal when the above criteria have been met.

I have. The buyer claimed the contents of their package were "not as described", and sent a photo of a completely different item than the one the seller posted.

In my experience, the ONLY way to keep your money safe with Paypal is to make sure you withdraw it all as soon as you receive it, and keep your balance at zero. That way, if a claim is upheld against you then they can't actually take money off you, they can only give you a negative balance.

Of course, this means you'll either have to set up a new Paypal account, or else you'll have to pay off the negative amount. It's a hassle to have to open a new account - but it's saved me from losing my money before.

Tirian

frivolous_fay

Tirian wrote:

I have. The buyer claimed the contents of their package were "not as described", and sent a photo of a completely different item than the one the seller posted.

That's a false item not as described dispute. It's the 'fraudulent (credit card fraud) funds reversal' under the circumstances I described that I haven't seen yet.

When I say I haven't heard of it happening, I'm open to someone proving me wrong as I'd love to know if protecting myself is going to cover me against credit card fraud.

Item-swapping is a different matter...

Tirian

frivolous_fay wrote:

That's a false item not as described dispute. It's the 'fraudulent (credit card fraud) funds reversal' under the circumstances I described that I haven't seen yet.

When I say I haven't heard of it happening, I'm open to someone proving me wrong as I'd love to know if protecting myself is going to cover me against credit card fraud.

Item-swapping is a different matter...

True, it is different from an item not received dispute - but it is potentially a trickier problem. If Paypal decide the complainant is right, it's very hard to disprove that. Showing a proof of delivery won't help. Basically, it is your word against theirs - and if Paypal go with them, the payment will be reversed just the same.

My advice to anyone using Paypal is still to never keep any funds in there longer than absolutely necessary - that way you are as safe as you can be from this kind of thing.

I often do the same if I am sending small value items overseas - online trackable postage overseas is so expensive that nobody would use it for anything worth less than at least £50. So I make it clear in the auction that if they buyer wants insured postage they have to pay the extra for it - and if they want it sent standard airmail, it is at their own risk if it goes missing.

One buyer chose the uninsured postage, and then tried to make a chargeback saying that it had not arrived. He also said that he had paid for insured postage (demonstrably false, from the transaction details). His eBay account was already suspended at this stage - but Paypal refused to cancel his chargeback request.

I emailed him to inform him that if he wished to get a refund, then I would apply for the standard compensation (the item was only worth £15, so well within RM's standard compensation limits) as long as he dropped the chargeback and co-operated with the compensation claim. No reply.

However, since I regularly withdraw all funds from the account there was nothing in my Paypal account. His chargeback was upheld, so I abandoned the account and am now using a new one.

The trouble with Paypal is that, for all its supposed "seller protection" and "buyer protection", a dedicated scammer can still make their way around it. As such, if you are an honest trader, the best thing you can do is keep your exposure to a minimum - and be prepared to accept that you may well end up on the wrong end of a scam, and have to chose between losing your money or setting up a new account. Personally, I think the latter is preferable.

Tirian

thebeacon_2

As some what of a eBay veteran. What I would do to avoid getting scamed by scamers, is look like you are professional. Here is what I mean. Browse for some ebayers that sell a lot of items and look for their terms and conditions and how they list thier items. They have extremely tough terms of sale. This way scamers would want to avoid your listing. Scamers are looking for new blood for newbies who do not know what they are doind. ACT as professional. It will save you a lot of time and grief. Good Luck!